MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Select Board voted at a Nov. 23 meeting to enter contract negotiations with James Marot for the position of town building inspector following interviews with three candidates at the meeting.

Marot, who currently works as the building inspector for the Town of Acushnet, distinguished himself from other candidates based on his experience and familiarity with the Massachusetts Green Community Designation and Grant Program.

Mattapoisett is one of the only towns in the area that does not carry the designation and is therefore ineligible for the grants it provides. Other nearby towns that are currently participating in the program include Marion, Rochester, Wareham, Fairhaven, Acushnet and many others.

Marot said during his interview that the designation has helped Acushnet secure more than $1 million in grants and that, if hired, one of his top priorities would be to try and get Mattapoisett into the program. He said the first step would be for him to organize the paperwork to get the issue in front of Spring Town Meeting voters.

“I think I have the qualifications, the experience and the knowledge to do something nice for Mattapoisett,” said Marot.

The Select Board was initially torn between Marot and another candidate, Steve Brodo, who currently works for Mattapoisett as an assistant building inspector. Marot and Brodo, they agreed, elevated themselves slightly above the third candidate, Scott Shippey, based on their undergraduate degrees.

Select Board Member Tyler Macallister initially supported Brodo for the position citing his 26 years of military service in the U.S. Navy and experience with the town.

He also praised Brodo’s attention to detail through an anecdote about Brodo installing a door in Macallister’s home and going out of his way to correct a subtle issue with its finish.

“I never would have picked up on it,” he said, but described how Brodo not only noticed the issue but contacted the manufacturer to correct it.

Select Board Member Jodi Bauer, however, leaned strongly towards Marot and disagreed with an assertion from Macallister that both Marot and Brodo would need time to adjust to the position before “hitting their stride.”

“I don’t think Jim [Marot] is going to take much time getting going,” said Bauer. “This guy’s got it all. I think we’d be crazy not to grab him.”

Select Board Member Jordan Collyer was more ambivalent about the decision than the other two board members and considered taking a week to think about it. However, he ended up choosing Marot for the position after Town Administrator Mike Lorenco gave his opinion and also recommended Marot.

All three Select Board members voted for Marot during the final vote but noted that they would like to see Brodo take a slightly larger role in the department and would consider him as the runner-up for the position if a contract could not be negotiated with Marot.